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Naja F, Abbas N, Khaleel S, Zeb F, Osaili TAH, Obaid RS, Faris M, Radwan H, Ismail LC, Hassan H, Hashim M, AlZubaidi H. Beyond pillbox: a national cross-sectional study on the attitudes, practices, and knowledge of community pharmacists regarding complementary and alternative medicine. BMC Complement Med Ther 2024; 24:107. [PMID: 38418995 PMCID: PMC10902973 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04391-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While community pharmacists are uniquely positioned to promote the safe and effective use of complementary and alternative medicine, their potential role remains largely untapped. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to complementary and alternative medicine products among community pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates and explore the correlates of knowledge in the study sample. METHODS Using a stratified random sampling frame, a national survey of community pharmacists was conducted in the United Arab Emirates. In a face-to-face interaction, participants completed a multi-component questionnaire consisting of four sections: sociodemographic and general characteristics; knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine products and usage; attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine and practices related to complementary and alternative medicine. Based on participants' answers, scores were calculated with higher scores indicating more positive knowledge, attitudes, and practices. RESULTS 373 community pharmacists participated in the study (response rate: 83%). For the knowledge questions, more than 50% of community pharmacists correctly answered the functions of complementary and alternative medicine, however lower percentages were noted for the side effects and drug interactions questions. Most community pharmacists had positive attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine, except for particular aspects such as efficacy, where 40% agreed that complementary and alternative medicine is only effective in treating minor complaints. As for practices, while more than 70% of participants counseled patients on complementary and alternative medicine use, only 47% reported the toxic effects when encountered. Multiple linear regressions showed that community pharmacists working in independent pharmacies, those with fewer years of experience, and those who did not receive complementary and alternative medicine education during their academic degree had lower knowledge scores (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study showed that community pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates have good knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine functions and generally positive attitudes and practices, with few gaps identified in each. Together, these findings provide critical evidence for the development of targeted interventions to promote the role of community pharmacists towards safe and effective complementary and alternative medicine use in the country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farah Naja
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, P.O.Box 110236, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Nada Abbas
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Sharfa Khaleel
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Falak Zeb
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Tareq A H Osaili
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid, 22110, Jordan
| | - Reyad Shaker Obaid
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - MoezAlIslam Faris
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Hadia Radwan
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Leila Cheikh Ismail
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Haydar Hassan
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mona Hashim
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Hamzah AlZubaidi
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
- School of Medicine, Deakin Rural Health, Deakin University Faculty of Health, Warrnambool, VIC, 3216, Australia.
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